9 things you peak at in life by the time you hit 30

Rob Ludacer
Research has found plenty of things to savor about growing old, including an increased ability to build empathy and achieve financial security.

But the scientific research on when people "peak" in various aspects of their life — as determined by the median ages across certain trends — also suggest people max out certain abilities in their youth.

Here's a sample of the abilities and traits people peak at by the time they hit their 30th birthday.

Age 7 — Learning a new language

Thomas Lohnes / Getty Images

There's still some debate among linguists and psychologists about whether people lose their ability to absorb a new language as they age, but it's widely accepted that the brain is more malleable, or "plastic," before kids reach puberty.

If you want your child to learn a language, best to give them lessons as soon as possible.

Age 23 — Female attractiveness to men

In the book "Dataclysm,"OKCupid cofounder Christian Rudder used his site's data to show preferences across race, religion, and gender.

According to the book's analysis of the data, men find women in their early 20s most attractive. Even as the men got older, their preference for 20-something women seemed to stay the same. Women in their 20s on the site, on the other hand, tended to like slightly older men (a year or two older than they were) and women in their 30s tended to like men a few years younger than them.

A disclaimer: OKCupid's data pool, which is based on its users, isn't a representative sample of the population.